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Some international box office markets that are up and running — even if not at full steam — saw increases this weekend while others faced drops given good weather in some spots and an overall lack of new product.

However, Disney floated Kristen Stewart-starrer Underwater into Korea for the first time with a No. 1 start at $402K which is one of the better overseas openings for the underperformer that began rolling out globally in January. Disney/Pixar’s Onward also continued to lead Taiwan in its second week.

Local titles in Germany and Czech Republic were still atop the charts and the former continues to see strong drive-in business. Overall, however, there’s evidence that new releases — scant though they may be — are the ones drawing the most attention from moviegoers.

The Batman may have halted production, but the news, quotes, and new looks at the Batmobile keep on coming. Matt Reeves’ 2021 reboot will see Robert Pattinson don the cape and cowl for the first time, and we’ve got the story of how he came to be cast as The Dark Knight, as well as who’ll be joining him on the big screen.

Away from that, we’ve got first looks at the Batsuit, plus exclusive interviews, news on which villains will be filling Gotham’s streets with fear, and even some Halloween-related rumours for you to chew over now that we’re under 18 months out from release.

From top to bottom, we’ll have the latest breakout news, then a run-through of all the major talking points, including release date and a full cast list.

So, suit up and sharpen those Batarangs: here’s everything you need to know about The Batman.

After news of Zack Snyder’s Justice League stunned many DC Comics fans, the hits just keep on coming as now it appears that Henry Cavill will once again reprise his role as Superman in future projects for Warner Bros. Pictures. ComicBook.com has learned that Cavill will reprise his role as Clark Kent, though for now a sequel to Man of Steel is not currently in the works from the studio.

Instead, it sounds like Cavill’s Superman will operate in a similar capacity to Marvel’s use of Nick Fury and the Hulk, appearing in films for a supporting role or even smaller cameos. The future of Cavill’s Superman has not yet been fully decided, and it sounds like Warner Bros. and DC Comics are still figuring out where the character best fits in upcoming films.

This new deal is part of the reason that Cavill appeared on director Zack Snyder’s live stream rewatch of Man of Steel last week, the same stream where Snyder announced that his cut of Justice League is coming to HBO Max.

The DC villain will appear in the long-awaited “Snyder cut” when it comes to HBO Max next year.

After fans and cast members marked the two-year anniversary of the 2017 release of Justice League last year with the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign on social media, it was recently confirmed that the director’s extended version of the film will be released on the HBO Max streaming platform.

Snyder left production on the movie following the death of his daughter, leading to multiple rewrites and reshoots, leaving fans clamoring to see his original vision.

Just the mere thought of ‘X-Men in the MCU’ conjures up a whole host of dream scenarios. Wolverine scrapping with Winter Soldier, Magneto as a new Big Bad, the Phoenix Saga being done right – all are realistic possibilities.

But with the mutants joining the Avengers comes a story-shaped roadblock, one that Marvel has to overcome if it wants the X-Men to be a benefit, not a burden, to the MCU’s increasingly complex shared universe of superheroes.

Kevin Feige’s one-word tease of “mutants” at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 may have seemed simple enough. However, introduce them too soon and Marvel could turn off audiences unfamiliar with the source material.

Similarly, staggering things out across several years could risk fans growing increasingly impatient and losing interest in the X-Men.

More than 2 years after the release of 2017’s DC superhero film “Justice League”, director Zach Snyder’s version of the film will finally see the light of day. The long rumored “Snyder Cut” will be streaming on Warner Media’s HBO Max, the studio announced today.

Director Zack Snyder also made the announcement during a watch party of Man of Steel, with star Henry Cavill appearing for a Q&A session.

“I want to thank HBO Max and Warner Brothers for this brave gesture of supporting artists and allowing their true visions to be realized. Also a special thank you to all of those involved in the SnyderCut movement for making this a reality,” said Snyder.

The announcement is a big victory for the film’s passionate fans, who have campaigned for #ReleaseTheSnyderCut on social media since the original film’s release in November of 2017, with many of the movie’s stars pitching in their support.

Shortly after the announcement, the film’s stars took to Instagram to share their responses.

“Ladies and Gents, it finally happened. The Snyder Cut will be out next year!, Cavill posted. Now, I know there have been two camps over the whole Snyder Cut thing and whether it will ever happen for a while. Just remember, we all get to have more Justice League now, it’s a win win. So, be nice to each other. Big congratulations to you, Mr Snyder!”

“For those who fought. For those who believed. Thank you,” Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg in the film in his debut Instagram post. Jason Momoa also shared his thoughts: “WE WANT finally it’s happening. your welcome. justice served. all my aloha to everyone who made this happen. all the fans. we love you. ALOHA J”

Zack Snyder exited the film’s production in May 2017 after a family tragedy, the death of his daughter, Autumn. Shortly after, he was replaced by Joss Whedon to oversee the remainder of the post-production, as well as direct additional scenes.

As fans everywhere prepare for the return of new Marvel comics at their local comic shops next week, Marvel is set to reveal its release schedule for comics and collections through the rest of July. Upcoming releases include new installments for fan-favorite series like X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, and AVENGERS, and the highly anticipated start of Marvel’s earth-shattering comics event, EMPYRE.

Now releasing weekly starting July 15, Marvel’s sprawling space epic will leave the Marvel Universe changed forever. As EMPYRE begins, the Kree and the Skrulls have united under a new emperor – and their war fleet is on a collision course for our world. The Avengers are ready to strike with the full power of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, while the Fantastic Four are seeking a diplomatic solution…but will they be able to stop this unstoppable new Alliance?

“We couldn’t be more excited to start rolling out new Marvel comics again on a weekly basis, including our long-anticipated cosmic summer event, Empyre!” said Marvel Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski. “We know Marvel fans are eager to dive back into the Marvel Universe, and we can’t wait to bring you spectacular new stories with stunning art every Wednesday. As anticipation and excitement builds, we’ll continue to keep a balanced release schedule for our comics and trade collections, and starting in mid-July, fans can look forward to even more releases for Marvel’s latest comics!” For Marvel’s full release schedule starting May 27, visit Marvel.com:

Lest you think that Henry Cavill talks constantly about how hard he works (“Actor Does Job Shock!”), know that he is far from solipsistic. “I’m so proud of my team, because I expect a high standard of myself and they matched that,” he says. In conversation, Cavill constantly gives props to his colleagues, from the “incredible stunt performers” to his hairdresser, Jackie (“We all worked long hours on that job, but he took the wig home with her”).

The scars on his ripped abs that he posted on Instagram (caption: “When you take work home with you”) were thankfully just make-up. But doing his own stunts did bring occupational hazards. “Because I was training hard in the gym throughout the whole process, it became difficult for any injuries to heal.

You stress the muscles so much when you’re super-dehydrated and tired at the end of the day that little things can happen, like muscle pulls, which never quite go away.”Continue reading →

The Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon, is enacting safety and social-distancing measures to keep the lights on through the pandemic.

The Blockbuster video store in Bend, Oregon, is the last of its kind in the entire world, and it’s miraculously surviving not just the streaming era but also the coronavirus pandemic. In a new interview with Vice, the store’s longtime general manager Sandi Harding said she’s keeping the lights on by making the store as safe as possible.

Because the local DVD distributor is closed, Harding ventures to major retailers with her mask and gloves on to purchase new films for her store.

“The big title for next week is ‘Call of the Wild,” Harding told Vice. “I usually start out with 30 copies on DVD, and 12 to 14 Blu-Ray. I’ll go to Walmart, Target, Fred Meyer, every retailer we have here in town, and I’ll only get five or 10 from each one.

Neiman Marcus filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Thursday, in hopes of charting a new path forward at a time of significant disruption for fashion retail.

The luxury department-store group, which also operates Bergdorf Goodman and the e-commerce platform MyTheresa.com, has struggled in recent years under more than $5 billion in debt stemming from leveraged buyouts in 2005 and 2013. Despite current temporary store closures and widespread economic uncertainty, the company says it plans to exit bankruptcy in the fall stronger and more financially stable than when it went in.

The news capped off a week of bankruptcy announcements from major players in fashion retail, with J.Crew Group Inc. and Aldo Group Inc. likewise seeking court protection. Like Neiman, they were already facing financial challenges before Covid-19 hit and the stress became insurmountable.